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Survey: Pharma's social media, mobile use spreads in 2012

Attention pharma workers reading this story on an iPad with plans to tweet it: You're not alone in your consumption of mobile tech and social media. A new survey from the software provider Cegedim shows a surge of widespread use of social media and mobile platforms among pharma executives as their organizations adapt the way they communicate and get work done.

LinkedIn was the top social platform among those surveyed. In terms of major social networking sites, nearly all or 96% of pharma executives use LinkedIn, followed by 70% on Facebook and 37% getting in on Twitter action, according to the survey. From 2011 to 2012, LinkedIn use jumped 43%, Facebook 38%, and Twitter 28%, according to the survey from the provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software, which presented the findings in a white paper.

"The survey reveals social media usage to be on a clear, robust upswing," the company said in the paper.

Drugmakers have flocked to social media platforms to compete for the attention of key audiences such as consumers and clinicians. At those companies surveyed, more than half or 64% have tapped social media for marketing, with 42% making use of social platforms for public relations and 38% for sales.

Cegedim seemed to find plenty of evidence to bolster development of mobile CRM apps. A whopping 82% of companies surveyed plan to or are actively using a mobile platform, with the Apple OS serving as the most common technology (no surprise).

"Respondents support the established trend that tablets are no longer a convenience but an essential tool for greater effectiveness, collaboration and efficiency," the company wrote.

Keep in mind that these results come from a software vendor, but the findings are nonetheless interesting. Pharmalot reported that 234 pharma execs were surveyed.